Old Friends
by Gothic984
Summary: This is a continuation of my previous story Emotion. Gail Emory tries to mend old relationships and continue with everyday life, after the events of Emotion.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous story Emotion.

Rating- K

It was a cool spring evening, nothing could be heard except the small sound of crickets that seemed to travel through the slow breeze. Lucas Buck sat on his favourite old wooden chair on his back porch, with a glass of red wine admiring the vastness of his garden.

Many people wondered how one man could feel at home in such a huge property, but Lucas was always grateful for the peace and quiet away from all the prying residents of Trinity. Yes, Lucas enjoyed instilling his will on these people and it was amusing inserting himself into their lives, especially when they did not want him to; however, he always looked forward to the last hour of his day when he could relax and reflect on the activities that had taken place.

Lucas took a sip of his wine and savoured the feel of the liquid travelling down his throat. He found his thoughts trailing towards Gail Emory and what she was doing at this present moment, he knew it was something she shouldn't be doing. Since their surprising encounter in his office a month ago, she had managed to avoid him or at least keep their interactions from becoming intimate by ensuring she had someone with her at all times. If it wasn't the good Dr Peele it was Loris Holt or Nurse Rita. Hell, she even had his Deputy accompany her on some occasions. Lucas made a mental note to remind his Deputy where his loyalties lay.

Lucas knew if he really wanted to have Gail right now, he could. He had nearly gone to her last night, knowing full well that he could enter her bedroom at any time and she wouldn't be able to stop him; however, he chose to play it casual for the time being and let her think that she was in control, that's one thing that Gail always seemed to strive for in their relationship. The poor girl had no idea that any control she thought she had was an illusion that he had allowed her to feel.

Lucas had noticed that Gail was not spending as much time with Caleb as she used to, clearly the boys revelation was still having an impact on their relationship. He decided he would use this to his advantage and spend more time with the boy himself. Caleb was Gail's only living relative, so it was inevitable that they'd patch things up sooner or later. Lucas might as well make sure that he was a part of Caleb's life before that happened so she had no choice but the deal with him.

The cool breeze began to blow faster and Lucas found himself feeling as though he was being watched. He would know instantly if someone was on his property and his town's people wouldn't dare intrude on his private place. No, this felt like something else.

Lucas closed his eyes and focused all his inner senses on the garden ahead of him. A white blurred shape took form in the darkest corner of the garden, he didn't need to see the face to know who was invading his space. He opened his eyes, shook his head and smiled, 'You really know how to out stay your welcome Merlyn Ann'. Lucas drank the last of his wine in one gulp, then headed inside.

* * *

Juniper house was a drab looking facility where seemingly difficult Trinity residents where discarded and forgotten about, that's how it appeared to Gail anyway. She had been flashing her most pleasant smile to the staff in this washed out place all evening, trying to establish what it would take to be able to visit her old friend Matt Crower.

It had occurred to Gail, after she had pondered the way her life seemed to be heading in this god forsaken town, that everything seemed to go down hill when her old friend had tried to take a shot at the Sheriff. When he was taken away in handcuffs after she had pushed the gun from it's intended target, she had a horrible feeling deep down in her stomach that Matt wouldn't make it to this facility; however, Ben had assured her that he had delivered him safely here.

Gail had felt a certain love for her friend, they had grown very close after she had returned to Trinity to care for her cousin. It was evident from the start that Matt had taken to Caleb instantly and he felt a responsibility to the boy, just like she did. At first, she thought Matt may have been interested in her romantically, but that thought quickly left her mind and they had become best friends in their time together.

When Matt was taken away, Gail had felt a void inside her and utterly alone. She was suddenly stuck in this town with a ten year old boy who she had only met a few months earlier and all her friends and colleagues seemed a lifetime away in Charleston.

Looking back, Gail cursed herself for being easy prey and allowing Lucas to manipulate the situation to his advantage. She knew full well that letting him in after they had fulfilled their deal had been her downfall; after all, people slept together all the time and it did not lead to a romantic relationship. Gail had allowed Lucas to convince her to break the terms of their arrangement and she had paid a high price for her ignorance. Had her old friend been around her at the time, she was sure he would have talked some sense into her.

So here she was, trying to do what she should have done when Matt had been initially locked up . Gail had to see whether it had been a case of temporary insanity which drove her friend to the intended action that got him sent here, or if he was completely lost to her.

'Miss Emory?' a small apprehensive voice cut through her thoughts. It was the young receptionist she had been trying her best not to argue with all evening, who seemed to be hell bent on keeping her away from the person in charge of this place.

Gail stood up from her place in the waiting area, smoothed off her skirt and put on a welcoming smile, 'Yes?'

The young receptionist signalled to an office down a long corridor. 'The head doctor will see you now'

Gail walked down the corridor without hesitation, before anything else could be said and knocked on the office door before entering. When she opened the door, she was instantly taken aback by the extravagance of the office, compared to the dull surroundings she had come in from. The walls were painted a bright cream and although it was coming on to late evening, there was a significant amount of light which seeped in through the huge office window facing the door she had just entered. Gail shook her head in disgust, thinking about the living quarters of the patients in this place compared to the head doctors office.

Knowing she wouldn't stand a chance getting anywhere near Matt if she let her true feelings show, Gail went back to showing her most pleasant smile and turned her attention to the egotistical doctor that was packing up his belongings for the day.

* * *

Lucas Buck was sat comfortably reading William Faulkners book As I Lay Dying, on his favourite couch in his study. He was silently contemplating the events that played out for the Compson siblings, when his telephone rang. He closed his eyes in exasperation and took a deep breath before answering, knowing Gail's current antics were going to get in the way of his relaxation tonight.

'Yes, I'll be right there' he said picking up the phone, then putting it straight down. He didn't need some young receptionist telling him what he already knew, it seemed Gail had gotten further than he thought with her enquiries.

Shaking his head, Lucas put his book to one side, got up and headed for the door.

* * *

Gail tried not to lose her patience and let her anger show, when the head doctor escorted her abruptly out of his office. 'Doctor Monroe, I know your finishing for the day, but if you'd just let me have a minute longer of your time, I can explain why it's in your best interest that I see Matt Crower...'

'Miss Emory, I don't think a young women like yourself should concern herself with visiting dangerous patients.' the doctor said while shoving her gently out of the door. 'Now, I've had a long day and I'm going to head home to my family, ok hun?' and with that he locked the office door then walked away from her, leaving her standing alone in shock at his abrupt exit.

'Hun?' Gail said aloud, she was furious. Not only had she spent all evening trying to accomplish her goal and had failed, the pompous doctor hadn't considered anything she had brought to him and had spoken to her in such a demeaning manner that she had nearly slapped him.

She took a deep breath and counted to ten slowly, as she headed down the corridor and out of the building. Gail decided she needed time to regroup and come up with a better plan, so she headed for her red mustang. Maybe she could dig more into the residents of Juniper House for a possible news story, that would likely get the good doctor's attention and maybe persuade him into giving her what she wanted.

'Well, well...' the familiar southern drawl entered her ears '...it's nice to see you putting your reporter skills to good use for a change darlin''

Gail stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes and turned around slowly to see Lucas Buck leaning casually on the car parked beside hers, with his hands in his pockets as though his presence there was the most natural thing in the world.

This was going to be uncomfortably. Gail had spent the better part of the last month evading this man or at least making sure she had company as much as possible, to avoid being alone with him. She tried not to show how tense she was, but just the smell of him made her body fill up with a warm sensation. Gail had to resist the urge to close her eyes and give in to the warm feeling at the pit of her stomach.

Gail gave herself a little shake and smiled. Trying to divert her attention from the Adonis in front of her and back to her desired goal of the evening, she began to think a bit clearer. Of course Lucas would be here when she was trying to visit her old friend, she was foolish to think he didn't have control over who could see Matt.

'Fancy seeing you here this late, Sheriff' she said edging towards the driver side of her car, but not turning her back to him. 'I thought you would have better things to do with your time than to hang around in the Juniper House car park'

Lucas smirked, stood up straight and took a few steps towards her. 'I have plenty to do with my time darlin', but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see an old friend' he said, letting his eyes move slowly down to her legs then back up to her face.

'Friends?' Gail laughed, 'is that what we are?'. As the words left her mouth, she cursed herself for engaging in conversation with him.

Taking another few steps forward, Lucas began to feel the familiar excitement as her frustration became evident. He felt his opening would be near, he just had to engage her a bit more. 'Well, we've spent quite some time in close quarters Gail and if I remember correctly, we've had a number of friendly late night meetings. I suppose old lover might be more appropriate though, what do you think?' Lucas said with a smile.

Gail backed up with each step Lucas took forward, not taking her eyes off him, until she ended up with her back against her car window. 'Love had nothing to do with our late night meetings Lucas, you know that' she said, failing to sound convincing.

'No?' Lucas took another two steps forward so he was less than a foot away from her, he could smell her sweet natural smell and raised his hand to caress her cheek.

Gail grabbed his hand before he could touch her face and they both felt a small electric charge. 'No' she said, trying to sound stern whilst looking him directly in the eyes, god she could easily get lost staring into those eyes if she wasn't careful.

It was no good, Lucas took a final step towards her so they were finally pressed against each other and inhaled her scent. Gail took a deep breath and tried to keep her composure, but she felt the familiar feeling in her stomach and between her legs. Lucas reached his free hand up and ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her face closer to his and running his lips slowly across her cheek. Instinctively, she moved her hands to his chest and began to move down his body. Lucas groaned and she smiled to herself when she felt him become hard against her.

The wind began to rise around them in the deserted car park, as their lips met. Lucas pulled her closer as the kiss became more forceful and when their lips finally parted Gail bit Lucas' lower lip, then licked it tenderly. 'Why don't we get outta here and we can finish this at my place?' Lucas whispered, whilst moving his lips over her neck and sucking gently.

Gail was trying to think of any reason why that didn't sound like a great idea, but she had felt defeated in her earlier task and this man made her feel powerful. She knew he would do what she allowed him and not push her into doing acts she wasn't confident with. Hell, there were even times when he spent the whole night pleasuring her without expecting anything in return, although she had always returned the favor the following morning. The memories of his mouth down there had made the decision for her. 'Ok, Sheriff...' she whispered while nipping at his ear, '...lead the way'

Lucas took a step back, still running his fingers through her hair and smile triumphantly. Just as he was about to lead Gail to the passenger seat of her car, he heard a familiar voice behind him and his expression changed to one of exasperation.

'Well, well...what do we have here?' Selena Coombs stood with her hands crossed behind him.

Lucas felt Gail tense and shake free of his hold on her. Damn, he was so close to winning this round.

Gail stepped out of Lucas's reach and towards Selena. 'Your late,' she said to his ex and Lucas narrowed his eyes at the women. Could his ex's be in league with each other? Surely not.

Selena looked Lucas up and down with an amused smile before turning her attention to Gail. 'Well, Miss Emory, my car is in for a check up and it was an odd request to meet up by all the crazies, you'll have to forgive me for being sceptical'

Relief surged through Gail, as she quickly walked towards Selena. This woman had been a menace to her previously, especially when it had come to her cousin; however, she was more than happy with Selena's timing this evening.

'Come on Miss Coombs, I'll give you a ride and we'll discuss matters on the way home' Gail signalled to her car, trying to avoid Lucas' stare and Selena lead the way.

As the two ladies got into the car and the doors closed, Gail glanced up at Lucas and threw him a triumphant smile before turning on the engine and driving away.

Lucas stood still in the deserted car park replaying what had just happened, then sighed and decided to return home to his book.

* * *

When Juniper House was just a small dot in the distance, Gail allowed herself a relieved sigh. She couldn't believe she nearly got caught up with the man who had turned out to be the father of her only living relative again. Gail silently scolded herself and turned her attention to the woman sat in the car with her, who was staring at her with a knowing look on her face.

'What?' Gail asked, more defensively than she had intended.

Selena turned away and smiled, 'oh nothing, I just wondered how you ended up in the arms of the man you had so obviously been avoiding'

Gail took a deep breath and decided not to show her irritation. 'So, what about Caleb? That is why you wanted a meeting wasn't it Selena?

Selena sighed. She was fond of Caleb but she could see his father in him more and more these days. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part, but her pupil seemed more defiant than he used to be and as his teacher she had a duty to report these things. 'Well, your cousin is misbehaving Gail. He is disrupting other children in the class and he's not completed the last 3 homework assignments that he has been given. I think Caleb needs some discipline'

Gail quickly glanced at her, while trying to watch the road. 'I'll decide what Caleb needs' she snapped. 'Besides, he's had a rough few months, I don't blame him for lashing out.'

Gail knew she hadn't been spending as much time with her cousin as she should have, but she was trying to come to terms with all she had previously learned about Lucas being his father and what had caused her to miscarry their child. She didn't believe Caleb was totally to blame for what had happened; however, she couldn't completely forgive or forget what he had done, at least not yet.

'I know he's had a rough time Gail, but we all have our problems and I will not tolerate misbehaving children in my classroom' Selena said sternly. She took her job very seriously and she hated it when people couldn't control their children. Selena had given Caleb a few extra chances, with him being Lucas's son and all, but she wasn't with him any more so the special treatment had to stop.

Gail pulled up outside Selena's house. She admired the seemingly small building, it had a certain charm to it. 'I've had a long day Selena, I'll have a word with Caleb tomorrow' and with that she signalled the teacher to vacate her car. Selena nodded and left her to contemplate what had been discussed. Gail decided to head straight home and ponder on the evenings events before turning in for the night.

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

It was a warm, bright spring morning and Caleb sat eating his breakfast cereal at the big oak table in front of the kitchen window, admiring the faint haze that was still present at this time in the morning.

It was 7.30am and no other resident in the boarding house was up at this early hour. Caleb had awoken at 7.00am and had made his way to the kitchen 10 minutes later. He found that he enjoyed the quiet, as it gave him time to gather his thoughts for the day ahead.

Caleb sat pondering what reason he could give for not completing his homework this time. He wasn't purposely trying to annoy Miss Coombs, but he had come to the realisation, with all the drama in his life, that there were more important things to be doing with his time than homework.

A faint squeaking sound travelled through the kitchen window for the fifth time since Caleb had sat down and he decided to examine what the cause of this distracting sound was. He slowly opened the back door and popped his head out first to the left, then to the right. To Caleb's surprise, he wasn't the only person up at this ungodly hour, his cousin was perched on the porch swing with her legs crossed and hands wrapped around what seemed like a mug full of hot liquid, he could see a slight bit of steam rising from inside her hands. Gail was slowly swinging absent mindedly staring into the garden, seemingly unaware of his presence.

Caleb returned indoors to grab his bowl of cereal and spoon, then crept out onto the back porch. 'Morning cuz. What are you doing here so early?'

Gail, awoken from her reverie, turned towards Caleb with a shocked looked on her face. She had been up since 3.00am with thoughts of her encounter with Lucas plaguing her mind. Having tossed and turned uncomfortably in her bed for hours, she had gotten up and headed to the boarding house around 6.30am in preparation for taking Caleb to school. Gail thought she had at least another half hour before being disturbed, she enjoyed slowly rocking on the porch swing with a fresh mug of tea and admiring the fresh layer of morning dew which touched on the plants in the garden. Early spring mornings made Gail feel at peace, especially when no one was around to disturb her. Unfortunately, it was evident that her cousin wasn't going to leave her be, so she reluctantly edged over to make room for him to sit next to her with his breakfast.

'Morning Caleb, I was having trouble sleeping so I decided to get an early start and head over here. How come your up so early?' Gail asked.

Caleb shrugged, 'Couldn't sleep I guess' and ate a spoonful of his cereal.

Gail sat admiring her only living relative. He looked so young and without a care in the world; however, she knew how much he had been forced to grow up these past 11 months and she knew his innocence was slowly fading away.

Gail sighed and took a sip of her tea, 'So, you want to tell me why you've not been doing your homework and why your teacher thinks you've been disrupting your class mates?'

Caleb froze, he knew Miss Coombs would talk to Gail eventually, but he had hoped he would have started to get back on the right path with his school work before she did. 'Well, I've not been feeling so well recently and...'

'You know...' Gail interrupted him, but didn't take her eyes off the garden ahead of her '...when I was younger, I found it hard to concentrate in school. I came up with all the excuses in the world to try and explain away my lack of interest; however, my English teacher wasn't born yesterday and he helped me realise that the impulsion to make up stories and excuses could be put to good use, that's when I started to realise I had an interest in writing. I've been where you are Caleb, don't take me for a fool.'

Caleb looked down at his cereal bowl, Gail had previously told him that she wouldn't tolerate him lying and she expected the truth from him no matter how bad that truth was. Since Gail had awoken from her coma a month ago she seemed to have less patience, so he took a deep breath and decided to try the honest approach. 'Ok cuz, I'm bored. I don't feel like wasting my time colouring and doing sums when there's more important things I could be doing with my time.'

Gail was taken aback by the answer she had gotten. She knew on the grand scale of things that missing some homework and disrupting the class a little wasn't that important. Hell, she had done worse things in her time before her English teacher had decided to mentor her; however, she needed to try and make Caleb understand that his education was important, maybe not at this level but we all have to start somewhere.

Gail knew she was guilty of not spending much time with Caleb recently. Truth be told, she hadn't quite figured out what their relationship would be after his revelation to her a month earlier. She hadn't considered that Caleb may need some guidance, she had been too caught up with her own problems recently.

'You know what? I'm going to call the school and tell them your not coming in today' Gail said.

Caleb looked up from his cereal in confusion, he had a horrible feeling that he was in trouble.

Gail smiled, 'Don't look so worried Caleb' she said getting up from the porch swing, 'your going to spend the day with me and you can see what its like to walk in an adults shoes for the day'

If Caleb was so intent on spending his time doing other things, Gail thought he could learn from what adults had to do on a day to day basis.

* * *

Ben Healy sat on a chair behind the Sheriff's station counter, staring into his cup of coffee. He was cursing himself for agreeing to the evening drinking sessions he had with Billy Peele, especially as he had drank more than intended and was still reeling from the effects of the alcohol. Ben was oblivious to anything else in his surroundings except for the cup of coffee sat motionless in front of him and he nearly jumped out of his seat when Lucas leaned on the counter beside him.

'Rough night Ben?' Lucas asked with a smirk, looking as fresh and enigmatic as he did every morning.

Ben tried to calm his nerves before answering his boss, Lucas had a way of getting into his head and making him feel guilty, even if he hadn't done anything wrong. It was hard to believe they had been friends for over 15 years. 'I'm fine Lucas, I just drank a little too much last night.'

Lucas shook his head in a sarcastic scolding manner and smiled mischievously, 'you should know better than to go out drinking on a school night, Deputy'

Lucas stopped when the familiar sound of the bell above the Sheriffs station door rang. He looked up to see Gail approaching the counter, with a weary Caleb trailing behind her.

'Nice to see you boys busy earning your wage' Gail said sarcastically, as she approached.

'Aw hell ma'am it's early, you haven't even given us time to finish our morning coffee' Lucas said inspecting Ben's cup of coffee.

Ben tried to sink down in his seat, he glanced at Caleb and could see he was trying to disappear into the surroundings also. Ben had gotten close to Gail when Lucas had 'died', even closer when she awoke from her coma and he knew from past experience that these playful conversations didn't usually end well.

Gail smiled, 'excuse me for expecting the law officials in this town to clock in at a reasonable time, as apposed to sitting on their ass's until their coffee and doughnuts have been consumed'

'Whoa darlin', has someone woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?' Lucas said as he slowly walked around the counter and approached Gail. 'I'd prefer it if you watched your language around the boy, we don't want him copying our bad habits'

Gail stared at Lucas and stood her ground, she hadn't meant to engage in this type of conversation around Caleb, but Lucas had a way of making her forget herself. Choosing to disregard his comment, she continued to her desired goal. 'I hear there was a car accident with a local Judge last night involving alcohol, care to comment?'

Lucas narrowed his eyes for a split second, this woman had a way of findings things that he didn't want publicised. The quality would be admiring to him, if it wasn't so irritating. Judge Trebor had in fact had a little too much to drink and crashed into Jack Rowlands fence, whilst participating in a sexual act with a women who certainly was not his wife; however, Lucas had cleared the matter up with Jack, after making a deal with the good Judge. The last thing he needed was Gail snooping around this particular accident.

'Darlin', is news so slow that you have to hang around waiting for car accidents to earn your pay cheque?' he smirked, 'and I thought those personal injury lawyers were bad'.

Caleb skulked further into the corner behind Gail, he could feel the tension rising in the room. Ben, noticing the boys actions, decided to remove them both from the firing path. He got up from the chair quicker than he had intended and felt a momentary haziness between his eyes. 'Come on Caleb...' he signalled to the boy, shaking of the queezy feeling, '...lets go get you something to drink'

Caleb couldn't move quick enough to get away from the awkward exchange and followed Ben through the back door of the Sheriffs station.

Gail didn't take her eyes off Lucas, but waited for Ben and Caleb to leave before answering the insult that had just been thrown at her. When they had left, she became very aware that she was alone in the station with Lucas and she began to feel the familiar knot in her stomach.

'I have no problem earning my pay cheque Lucas.' Gail tried to not to sound offended or defensive, 'Besides, I'm not the one who sit's on my ass all day and doesn't do any actual police work'

Lucas's smile grew wider, then he leaned in closer to Gail. ' Whoa darlin', the boy may have gone but I still don't appreciate that foul tongue of yours. Maybe we should step into my office where it's a bit more private and I can teach you how to control those urges.'

Gail tried to hide her deep intake of breath and tried to force back the urge to kiss him. It would be so easy to reach up and run her fingers through his hair, while he was this close and the way her body was feeling at this moment, she could easily forget about the consequences these actions might have.

Lucas could sense the inner turmoil inside the woman before him, it was always fun making women bend to his will, but this one was even more enjoyable knowing how hard she was trying to fight the temptation. Lucas always had it easy with women, which made him lose a certain respect for them. Gail on the other hand, she had resisted his charms for months then only gave in when he had information that she wanted and she had exhausted all other options in her pursuit of the truth. Even then she had made him wait another month, before finally letting him inside her. No, he had a bit more respect for this one and he admired the fight that was still left in her.

Lucas began to raise his hand to caress her cheek, when the familiar sound of the bell above the door rang. He felt Gail back up and he turned towards the sound, ready to unleash all sorts of hell on the person who had interrupted this exchange; however, no one was there.

Gail mentally shook off her ill advised feelings and turned towards the door herself, no one was there but she saw a bright glow close to the door. It must be the light shining through, she thought. Turning her attention back to Lucas, she could see him looking with anger at the door. 'So...' she said, trying to regain control of the situation, '...the car accident. Do you care to comment on how a Judge managed to crash his car, when the road he was driving down was well lit and empty?' she asked.

Lucas narrowed his gaze, he was trying to hide his anger. He knew that the interruption was Merlyn Ann, he just didn't know how she was around after the incident in his house with Caleb. The women in this family were really beginning to bother him. If it wasn't the living snooping into his affairs, it was the dead invading his personal life. If Merlyn had been alive, he'd hate to think what trouble these two would try to cause him teamed up.

After a moment, Lucas regained his composer and smiled again. 'Well, the good Judge was driving along responsibly when a rabbit ran out into the road. Not wanting to kill an innocent animal, the Judge tried to swerve out of the way and crashed into a fence. I've had a word with the Judge and he is aware of the highway code. As no one was hurt and the fence will be fully paid for, no charges will be filed. Is that good enough for you Miss Emory?'

Gail shook her head in disgust, she could see right through this far fetched story; however, without proof of any foul play she couldn't do anything. She had already spoken to the owner of the fence and he had recited this story to her, exactly as Lucas had. She was hoping Lucas would slip up with some details, but she should have known he was too smart for that.

Gail had been in Trinity long enough to know not to underestimate this man as he always covered his tracks, she just thought it was worth a shot to try and get to the truth. 'What a well rehearsed story Lucas. With that imagination you should have been a writer'

Lucas took a step towards Gail, closing the distance she had managed to put between them. He raised his hang to caress her cheek and whispered 'Now that this is all cleared up, how about we head to my office for that lesson I mentioned earlier?'

Gail grabbed Lucas's wrist and pushed him away. 'Get over yourself.' she said as she turned and walked out of the Sheriff's station.

Lucas stared after, 'Oh well...' he spoke out loud, '...it was worth a try.'

* * *

Gail found Ben and Caleb sat at the coffee shop down the road from the Sheriff's station, both smiled at her as she pulled up a chair.

'Did you get your story?' Caleb asked and passed her a cup of coffee that they had bought in preparation for her meeting them.

'Not really,' Gail sighed, 'Thanks for my drink. How are you Ben?'

Ben was enjoying another cup of coffee, seen as the one on the Sheriffs counter would most likely be cold when he returned. 'A little worse for the wear, thanks to our good friend Billy but I'm surviving. Glad to see you survived that encounter Gail'

Gail smiled, she liked Ben a lot. She was hoping Lucas wouldn't be too hard on him, knowing that they were now friends. Ben had made it clear that he won't speak about Lucas, so Lucas should have nothing to worry about. 'I wish I could've joined you two last night, it probably would've made my evening more eventful than it was.'

'Did you not get what you needed last night?' Ben asked. He knew Gail had gone to Juniper House and he wanted no part of what she was doing there. He guessed she was trying to do something with Matt Crower, as there was no other reason for her to go there but judging from her mood today he could see that she didn't get what she wanted.

Gail shook her head, 'What a wasted day that was, I should have know better than to think I could just walk up to Juniper and be able to...' she stopped herself, seeing Ben tense up and remembering that Caleb was with them.

She closed her eyes and mentally scolded herself, she could feel Caleb's eyes on her expectantly waiting for her to finish her sentence. '...to, erm...nevermind, I won't bore you with the details' Gail said.

Caleb looked back down into his cup of juice. Gail had always tried to drill it into Caleb that she expected the truth from him, so rather than become a hypocrite she chose to just drop the subject and hope he wouldn't notice.

Ben relaxed slightly and downed the last of his coffee in one gulp. 'On that note, I think I best return to my day job. Take care Gail and you be good for your cousin Caleb.' Ben got up out of the chair and headed back to the Sheriff's station.

'Bye Ben' both Caleb and Gail said in unison. Caleb turned to Gail, 'So, what now cuz?'

What now indeed, Gail thought. Her editor had told her that she should consider becoming a columnist if she chose to stay in Trinity and there was no news to report on. Gail hated this idea and the fact that this town was slowly ruining the career that she had worked so hard to build up. Normally at this point in an investigation, she would try and dig up facts from difficult places, but she needed to set a good example for Caleb. 'Well, Lucas says my story is a bust, but I'm not convinced. Do you want to help me dig out the truth?'

Caleb shrugged, this couldn't be worse than being in school he thought. 'Ok cuz, lets do this' he smiled.

Gail ruffled his hair and asked the waitress to put her coffee in a cup to go. 'Great, so I think first stop should be the court house. What do you think?'

Caleb pondered the idea then shrugged, 'that seems a good enough place to start as any'

Gail smiled, 'Ok, the court house it is'

* * *

Lucas sat in his dark office squeezing a foam ball, contemplating the events of the morning. A lot of people wondering why he had such a dark office with no window, the truth was the enclosed office gave him a feeling of privacy and control. It also made others feel trapped, so he was able to do his best work on his towns people in here.

Lucas found himself wondering what Caleb and Gail were doing. He knew Gail wouldn't give up so easily on the car crash story, but he hadn't thought she would take Caleb along for the ride. Lucas had covered all based with the Judge and his people never talked to reporters; however, he had a small feeling in his gut that Gail would find a way to continue pursuing the matter and that made him uneasy.

He decided that he and Ben would go on a patrol and stop by the court house, to make sure everything was running smoothly.

* * *

Caleb was sat on a hard wooden bench in the court house, observing his surroundings. After Gail had returned home to change into a pin striped grey skirt and white blouse so she could blend in, she had told him to take note of the people around him and try to pin point any suspicious behaviour while she patrolled the large entrance.

Upon surveying his surroundings, Caleb found that the adults in the room hadn't noticed his presence at all. It was as though he was a ghost. Looking around, he saw an agitated woman pacing, assuming this would interest Gail he signalled to her across the room.

Gail looked at him, then towards the pacing woman who had turned to leave out of a side door. Gail gave Caleb a small thumbs up before casually tailing the woman.

'Now where is that old cousin of yours heading off to?' Lucas, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, asked casually as he leaned against the wall beside Caleb.

Caleb was used to Lucas showing up in this fashion, so was unfazed by his appearance. 'She's working I guess' he shrugged.

Lucas looked down at him suspiciously 'Are you keeping secrets for your cousin son?'

Caleb wasn't yet sure how he felt about Lucas referring to him as son. At first he hated it, but now he seemed to be getting used to the term. He knew Gail wouldn't want Lucas interrupting her investigation so he put on his best innocent voice, knowing full well Lucas would probably see through his attempts to distract him. 'Me keep secrets? Nah, that's for adults to do.'

Lucas knew Gail had followed the Judge's mistress through the side door and he probably should interject, but he chose to stay with Caleb while Gail was distracted and sat down beside the boy. 'Adults do keep secrets son, but know that I won't with you and I'll tell you anything you want to know, if you ask'

Caleb pondered what Lucas had said and decided that it may be useful at a later time. 'What are you doing here Lucas?' he asked.

'Patrolling...why aren't you in school?'

Caleb shrugged, 'Gail said I need to spend the day in an adults shoes because Miss Coombs told her I was disrupting class'

Lucas nodded, so that's what Gail and Selena were meeting up for, he thought. 'Are you distracting the class?' he asked.

Caleb shrugged and just continued staring at the people around the room.

Lucas followed his gaze before deciding that this could be the opportunity he was waiting for to spend more time with his son. 'Do you really want to be here son?' Lucas asked.

'Gail said I need to be here and I'm helping her. '

'Look around Caleb, your cousin doesn't need your help when she's working. Besides, you didn't answer my question. Do you want to be here? or would you prefer to come for a ride along and be my partner for the day?'

Caleb was torn. He liked spending time with Gail but Lucas was right, she didn't need him around when she was working and technically he was still experiencing the day in an adults shoes if he was patrolling with Lucas.

Lucas, sensing Caleb's inner turmoil, decided to make the decision for the boy. 'Get up son, Ben will find your cousin and let her know your patrolling with me'

'I don't know Lucas, Gail might not like that... '

Lucas smiled and signalled towards the door, 'Its ok son, I'll clear it up with your cousin later if she has a problem.'

Caleb took one final look towards the door Gail had gone through, then headed towards Lucas's car.

* * *

Gail returned to the room Caleb had been in 15 minutes earlier, after having a heart to heart with the agitated women.

It had turned out that the woman was having an affair with a Judge and she was angry as he had decided that he wanted to end things and stay with his wife. Gail was amazed at how much the scorned woman could talk about her personal matters. She hadn't openly said it was the Judge Gail was looking for, but the woman had a cut that she was trying to hide under her fringe. Gail was trying to decide whether she should pursue the matter for a story or look for something else. After all it was crime she was interested in, not infidelity. She didn't like the thought of getting caught up in someone else's drama, she had enough of her own to deal with.

As Gail was pondering what to do next, she became aware that Caleb was nowhere to be found. Cursing herself for leaving him alone for so long, she left through the main doors to search for him and spied Ben sitting on a bench.

'Ben...' she called, '...have you seen Caleb?'

Ben couldn't believe Lucas had replaced him with Caleb for the day and had left him to break the news to Gail. 'Don't shoot the messenger, but he's gone with Lucas'

Gail shook her head in frustration. That man was a pain in the ass, but she was partly relieved that she could try and find a story now without having to worry about her cousin trailing behind her. Gail decided she would drop Ben off wherever he wanted to go and maybe start to look into Juniper House in more detail.

* * *

Caleb found himself really enjoying the day, he couldn't remember the last time he had had such a good time. First he had gotten to spend some unexpected time with Gail and now he was patrolling like an official Deputy. Caleb thought he might consider a career in law enforcement. After all that had happened to him and his family, it would be nice to learn how to protect innocent people.

Lucas glanced in Caleb's direction, while trying to keep his eyes on the road. 'What are you thinking about son?'

'Nothing important...' Caleb shrugged, ' I was just thinking about what it would be like being a policeman is all'

Lucas smiled, the boy was considering following in his fathers footsteps, this was a pleasant turn of events. 'Well, how about I show you what good we really do son? We've just been driving around so far, but would you like to accompany me while I visit a questionable character?

Caleb smiled, this was exciting. 'I sure would Lucas!'

Lucas turned the car around and headed towards the Grant farm. Mrs Grant had been seen in town wearing sun glasses and limping several times this month, Lucas thought it was time that he paid Mr Grant a visit. Pulling up at the farm, Lucas turned off the engine and signalled Caleb to stay behind him. He could see that Carl Grant was in his work shop and approached the place without caution. Carl looked up with uncertainty when he saw them approaching and walked towards them.

'Hey Carl.' Lucas called, 'we need to have a conversation about what you've being doing with your time recently'

Caleb noticed that Carl was much taller and heavier than Lucas, but Lucas didn't seem to notice and power radiated from him.

'What can I do you for Lucas?' Carl asked.

Lucas shook his head. 'Well Carl, it pains me to say that your wife has been spotted around town not looking her usual cheery self. Has there been some trouble recently?'

Carl looked at Lucas defensively. 'So what if there has been, what business is it of yours?'

Lucas smiled and Caleb could feel a change in the atmosphere around him, it suddenly became very hot.

Lucas took a few steps towards Carl until their faces were only a few inches apart. 'Whatever goes on in my town is my business Carl and if a towns person is being unnecessarily hurt, it's my duty to step in' Lucas said calmly.

Caleb saw Carl slowly reach around the back of his pants, but he stopped in his tracks when Lucas laughed.

'Whoa there partner, you know who I am and you don't wanna do that' Lucas said.

Caleb tried to stay very still, he didn't want to get in the way of this exchange.

Lucas just stared at Carl and Carl began to shake all over, then fell to the floor. Carl grabbed his chest and throat, then yelled out in agony, as if he was in immense pain and couldn't breath.

'What's happening?' Carl whispered.

'Divine retribution, I suppose' Lucas shrugged and knelt down beside him, 'now you make sure you don't lay a hand on that pretty little wife of yours and we won't have any further problems, understand?'

Carl, still grasping at his chest and throat, nodded frantically. Suddenly the atmosphere became cooler and Carl relaxed and took a big intake of breath.

Lucas stood up and turned away from the man lying undignified on the ground. He put an arm around Caleb and lead him back to his car. When they were a distance away from the farm Caleb began to talk. 'What was that?' he asked.

Lucas shrugged, 'that was how you teach a man a lesson, son'

Caleb had mixed thoughts about what just happened. 'Was Carl hurting his wife?'

'Yes sir' Lucas said, watching the road.

Caleb pondered on this for a while. He supposed Lucas had helped Mrs Grant and he hadn't outwardly used violence. Caleb shrugged, 'Oh well, I guess Carl deserved what divine retribution he got'

Lucas smiled and stole a quick glance at Caleb, his boy was coming along nicely.

* * *

It was early evening when Lucas dropped Caleb off at the Boarding House. He had decided to do the right thing and make Caleb understand that he needed his education for the future. The boy seemed to be paying attention so Lucas was happy with how the venture with his boy had ended. As he had done good, Lucas decided to head down to Jimmy's bar to see what mischief he could get into.

* * *

Gail sat in the corner of the bar with Billy Peele, trying to come to terms with how badly her efforts had failed over the past two days. She was still wearing the pin striped grey skirt and short sleeved blouse she had changed into earlier and was beginning to regret her uncomfortable choice of outfit. Not only had she not been able to see her old friend Matt, she couldn't find any news worthy story. 'I'm beginning to get sick of this damn town' she said aloud and took a sip of her Ameretto and lemonade.

Billy sat there staring at Gail, he could understand her predicament. He himself was destined for greater things, at least that's what he believed. The plague in this town had disappeared months ago, but here he was still occupying a position that he felt was beneath him. He joined the CDC for a reason and he had turned down more than one great opportunity just to stay in this town. Billy knew he was stupid, but he didn't want to admit to himself the real reason he was still here.

'Cheer up, Gail...' Billy said, '...there's worse places we could be. At least you've got your family, I don't even have that. Have another drink, it will make you feel better.'

As Billy signalled for the waitress to bring her another drink, Gail took hold of his arm, leaned over and placed a friendly kiss on his cheek. Billy looked at her in shock and she smiled warmly. 'Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I've had more than I should have already. You may not have your family Billy, but you've got me and Ben. We'll look out for each other'

Billy smiled and noticed Selena in the corner of the bar looking at them, so he leaned in and gave Gail a big hug. 'Thanks Gail, I appreciate it'

Gail knew Selena was in the bar and knew what Billy was trying to do. When they had become friends, she had decided then that she wanted no part of any games between them two, so she stood up and grabbed her drink. 'You stay here, I need a little air. I'll be back soon' and with that she crossed the room, trying to ignore the daggers Selena was eyeing towards her and headed out the side door.

The evening breeze was cool on Gail's face and it felt refreshing. She walked towards the deserted pier at the back of the bar, enjoying the cool breeze and ignoring the goose bumps on her exposed skin. Gail was fed up with this town, but she loved the quiet spots at the pier and the way she could just watch to flow of the water. It soothed her and helped her forget the disappointing events of most days.

Gail leaned against the wooden barrier and took another sip of her drink, savouring the way the cold liquid travelled down her throat. She found herself thinking back to the first official date Lucas had convinced her to go on, after the incident with Matt. Lucas had taken her to a deserted spot somewhere along the river, after they had been to an extravagant restaurant. They had both admired the scenery for about an hour, making a small bit of conversation in between.

Gail should have known how smooth he was then, Lucas hadn't pushed her into anything or rushed to make a move, he had waited for her to come to him and looking back it had been inevitable. She had moved closer to him, trying to steal some of his warmth and then his arm was around her. It hadn't taken long for their lips to meet and then everything had happened so fast.

A sadness fell over Gail and she suddenly felt all alone, she was so engrossed in her memories that she hadn't heard the footsteps behind her. Gail was oblivious to the presence of the man behind her, until she felt something brush against her arms.

Lucas had gotten to the bar just in time to see Gail sneak around back. He had followed her and was going to admire her from a distance, until he saw her shiver in the moonlight while she was staring out into the Trinity river. Lucas had quietly crept behind her and stroked his hands down her arms, until both his hands were touching hers.

Gail jumped at the sudden touch, but Lucas whispered in her ear to relax. He would never force her to do anything she didn't want to, that would spoil the fun, but he wouldn't allow her to freeze alone out here. She tensed for a moment, then began to relax into his arms.

Gail was drained. For a moment she just stood in silence in his arms, then she realised who she was with and the familiar doubts started to creep into her mind. 'You can't just come behind me and act like this Lucas.' She said, still leaning slightly into him and watching the water.

Lucas smiled and nuzzled his face into her neck, 'What's so wrong with this Gail? All we are is two adults comforting each other' he whispered, while taking the drink from her hand and placing it on a ledge beside them.

Gail closed her eyes and tried to find her strength, but she was too drunk and too deflated to fully gain control. Lucas began to move his hands from her arms to her stomach and Gail had to take a deep intake of breath. While leaving one hand firmly holding her in place on her stomach, he let his left hand travel down to her skirt then beneath it, until he found his desired goal.

Gail attempted to struggle out of his grasp, but he had her. 'Shhh...' he whispered in her ear, '...stop fighting. I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do so just relax'

Lucas began to move his hand in the motion he knew she liked and kissed her neck, as she leaned further back into him. Gail had protested as much as her body had allowed and just resigned herself to what was happening. After all, she was quite drunk and had been aching for him all day.

Gail reached around and felt for him behind her, she could feel how hard he was and began to caress and play with him, until she could feel his breath quicken on her neck. As her breath hastened, so did Lucas's hand movements. Gail made sure she matched his pace to keep him in line with her and just before she was able call out for him at her climax, his mouth met hers in a passionate kiss to quieten the sound and she kept the rhythm of her hand going, until she felt him reach his climax not long after her.

The couple continued their passionate kiss for a few more minutes, before Gail reached for Lucas's hand and pulled it out of her skirt. She stepped out of his grasp and smoothed off her skirt and hair, while Lucas pulled uncomfortably on his pants.

Gail was too tired to scold herself for what she had allowed to happen, she felt drawn to this man and he had a way of temporarily relieving her of her senses. Gail had made the decision not to sleep with Lucas again, after their previous exchange a month earlier and at least she had stood by that decision. This was only a little harmless fun.

She hadn't forgotten what had gotten her into a pity state in the first place and decided it was no use hiding her intentions from him. 'I will talk to Matt Crower, Lucas.' She said matter of factly, as she was making herself look presentable.

Lucas looked at her in his all knowing way and smiled, 'Is that so? I hear his Doctor feels Matt Crower is still pretty dangerous, I'm sure you don't want to bother yourself with dangerous patients hun.' he said in a sarcastic manner.

Gail tried to smile to hide her irritation, was he seriously mocking her? 'Game on, Lucas' she said, reaching for her drink and slowly sauntering past him towards the bar.

Lucas stared after her and shook his head with a grin. Game on indeed, he thought.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Gail Emory was working out her frustrations in her back garden on this fresh spring afternoon. A week had passed since the exchange with Lucas at Jimmy's bar and he had managed to thwart almost every attempt she had made to dig up some dirt on Juniper House. Instead of chasing up another pointless dead end, she had decided to enjoy the sunny weather and pull out the weeds in her back garden, if only it was so easy to pull out the weeds in her life. The chore was therapeutic and Gail could feel her tensions fading away with every weed she yanked from the ground.

Gail began to doubt whether she should have told Lucas her intentions, although she knew he would have found out sooner or later so why hide. She had gone back to her previous avoidance methods after their encounter and Lucas seemed to be giving her some space for the time being. Gail had taken the opportunity to spend some more time with Billy, after he was so obviously feeling lonely. Billy was a harmless creature, she knew what to expect from him and he didn't seem to complicate matters, although he liked to make his feelings about Lucas Buck very clear, which became tiresome. She felt sorry for Ben who had to try to please both his new friend and his old; neither seemed to take into account how hard things were for him, so Gail decided to step in with Billy and take on some of the late night drinking sessions to give Ben a break. It wasn't often she let her hair down, so she might as well while she seemed to have a bit more freedom from her ex lover.

A cool breeze blew through her hair and Gail felt an eerie feeling, as though she was being watched. She had been feeling this way more often over the last week and had expected to see Lucas invading her space, but he had been nowhere to be found.

Having surveyed her surroundings, Gail put the feeling down to unnecessary paranoia and continued to remove the weeds that were trying to take root in her garden. She found herself thinking about Caleb and what he was up to, she had hardly seen him since their outing to the Court House a week earlier. When Gail had gone to the Boarding House to take him to school at the beginning of the week, Loris had told her that Caleb had already left. The news was surprising seen as she knew he had previously wanted to spend more time with her, but she had just shrugged it off an gone about her business.

Gail made a mental note to visit Caleb once she had reassessed her options about Juniper House and continued on with her chore.

* * *

Caleb sat impatiently tapping his feet on the floor at his desk, in the overly bright classroom. He stole a glance at the clock and waited for the bell to ring to signal the end of his school day. Caleb had tried to make an effort to hand his recent homework assignments in on time, after Lucas had told him that he needed to do his school work and he had quickly found that doing this menial task meant the woman in his life remained happy with him.

Miss Coombs was stood at the front of the class giving a lecture on the importance of being punctual, as some of his class mates had began to arrive to class late after their lunch break. Caleb didn't see what impact being a few minutes late could have, but he had learnt from Lucas that girls seemed to focus on trivial things and when he had observed the women in his life, this had been confirmed.

Caleb was beginning to get irritated, he wanted to go as Lucas had promised to take him patrolling again after school had finished. He had been out with Lucas and Ben three times this week, but Lucas had promised that it would just be the two of them today and he was excited.

Caleb was fully aware that Miss Holt and Gail would not approve of the time he was spending with Lucas, but Lucas had taught him that what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them; therefore, he kept his outings with Lucas a secret. If Ben told Gail, well he would deal with that at a later date. Besides, he thought Gail was too busy with her own personal things to worry about what he was doing with his time.

The school bell rang and Caleb was up like a rocket. He grabbed his back pack and rushed out of the room, calling bye to Boone on his way out of the door. When Caleb got outside, he saw Lucas sat on the boot of his navy blue Crown Victoria car. Caleb had hoped they would be in a patrol car, but Lucas's car was comfortable enough and had a portable siren, so he didn't mind.

When Caleb approached the car, Lucas hopped down and ruffled his hair. 'That teacher of yours can't half gab until the home time bell son'.

'Tell me about it' Caleb said with a roll of his eyes and headed towards the passenger side of the car.

Lucas smiled and headed towards the drivers side door. If Gail or Selena knew the behaviour he brought out of his boy, they would both hit the roof. Luckily his little outings with the boy remained a secret and Caleb didn't seem in any rush to confess any time soon.

Lucas had enjoyed the time he was getting to spend with his son. He had thought that the actions Gail was trying to take with Juniper House would get in his way of keeping his promise to the boy today but surprisingly she had backed down, at least for the time being. He was having fun with this cat and dog game they were playing, he could imagine Gail seething with the blocks he had put in her way. She would give in to him in the end, he thought.

Getting into the car Lucas turned on the engine and drove away from the school, starting the afternoons patrol.

* * *

Gail sat swinging slowly on her porch swing and sipping from a glass of white wine, admiring her peaceful surroundings. She hadn't long finished her gardening chores and was waiting for Billy to come around, so they could decide what activities they wanted to partake in this evening. Gail was secretly hoping he would decide to give it a rest tonight, as she didn't have the motivation to get dressed up for a night out.

Gail was taken out of her reverie by the sound of an engine pulling up, the sound was too loud to be Billy's old truck. She lifted her head and glanced in the direction of the sound, just in time to see Selena close the door of her extravagant yellow sports car and turn towards her direction.

Gail sighed in exasperation, she could do without this visitor. Standing up from her comfortable position, she headed down her porch steps and met Selena at the bottom. 'Well this is a surprise.' Gail said, 'What can I do you for Selena?'

Selena greeted Gail with the fake smile that she reserved for her students parents. 'I thought you'd like an update on your cousin's behaviour, seen as you haven't been to school to check on his progress since our last chat'

Selena knew that Gail didn't take her seriously as a teacher and truth be told, she didn't care about Caleb right now, she just wanted an excuse to find out why her ex was spending so many of his evenings with this woman recently and Caleb seemed to be the only acceptable reason she could think of to enter into conversation.

Gail returned Selena's fake smile and signalled for her to follow her back up to the porch. She didn't care much about Caleb's school work at the moment, but she felt obliged to keep up appearances like a good guardian should do. 'Can I get you a drink?' Gail asked, hoping the answer would be no.

Eyeing the bottle of fine white wine that was on the table in front of the porch swing, Selena decided one glass wouldn't do her any harm. 'I'll have a glass of that if your offering, please'

Gail nodded disappointedly and headed indoors to find an extra glass. Selena took a seat on the big porch swing and crossed her legs comfortably. She admired the garden in front of her and noted that Gail must have put a lot of time into the up keep of it. She found herself wondering what the inside of Gail's house looked like and decided to follow her in to have a nosy around.

Selena crept through the open front door and was taken aback by the coldness of the place. The walls were a sterile white colour, there were a few pieces of furniture in the living room where Selena had ventured to, but the decorations were very basic. Selena was surprised, she had taken Gail as the type of person who would have a lot of trinkets or sentimental items dotted around the place, but apart from a few pictures of Caleb and her parents Gail didn't seem to have anything of sentimental value on show. The place reminded Selena of Billy and how he had always told her that he would be ready to leave in a moments notice, with very few belongings that would delay him. She supposed Gail wouldn't have much to pack if a story tempted her away from this town.

Selena was still pondering over the surroundings when she noticed Gail standing in an open doorway holding a wine glass, glaring at her suspiciously. 'I was just coming to see if you needed any help' Selena lied and headed back towards the porch, with Gail following closely behind.

When both woman were comfortably seated on the porch, Gail poured Selena a glass of wine and topped up her own glass. 'So, how is Caleb doing? Have there been any other incidents?'

'Quite the opposite...' Selena said taking and apprehensive sip of her drink, '...Caleb's gone full circle, whatever you said has worked. All his homework assignments have been handed in on time this week and he's playing nice with the other children in class.'

Gail felt a sudden surge of concern flow through her. She knew she hadn't had enough time to talk about the importance of school with Caleb, before Lucas had whisked him away from the Court House and what little she had said wouldn't have resulted in such a sudden improvement. She hadn't seen Caleb since the Court House, as he was either not at the Boarding House when she came to pick him up or he was in bed. Gail had spoken to her cousin on the telephone, but you couldn't get an accurate reading of someone over the telephone.

She began to wonder what had happened with Lucas and Caleb after the Court House and her concern grew. How could she have been so stupid and selfish to leave him in the hands of Lucas Buck? Lucas would never hurt Caleb, for god's sake it was his son, but he was always trying to impose his will on the boy and that wouldn't end well. Gail took a large gulp of her wine and tried to calm her thoughts.

Selena was watching Gail carefully, she had noticed the sudden change in her posture and was trying to figure out what had caused all the colour to drain out of her nemesis's face. When Gail took a large gulp of her wine, Selena knew something was amiss and refilled Gail's glass of wine to see what affect this would have. When Gail just automatically drank another half of the liquid, Selena figured this might be the time to get the answers she had actually come here for. 'So, you've been quite the socialite these days Gail' Selena said, trying to sound casual.

'What?' Gail asked distracted and refilled Selena's glass without thinking.

Selena shrugged and picked up the glass, one more wouldn't cause a problem. 'I've noticed you out most evenings this week, I didn't think an all nighter in a bar was your scene'

Gail gave herself a little shake and tried to get control of her wandering thoughts. 'What do you think is my scene, Selena?'

Selena took a large sip of her wine, 'Oh I don't know...knitting and bed by 10pm maybe'

Gail laughed and narrowed her eyes at the jealous woman in front of her, 'Knitting and 10pm might be a little tame for Lucas Buck, don't you think?'

Selena smiled knowingly, 'Oh wow, it all comes down to Lucas doesn't it? That man does have a way of sticking in the mind. How is your relationship with my ex going?'

'Which one?' Gail asked sarcastically and drank the remainder of the wine in her glass.

Selena laughed, downed the rest of her wine and split the last of the bottle between both glasses. 'Well done, Miss Emory. There may be hope for you yet.'

Gail frowned at the pitiful amount that was in both glasses and shook her head. 'This won't do' she signalled towards the empty bottle and disappeared for a few minutes. Upon her return, Selena was impressed to see she had two more bottles of wine and a radio. After refilling the glasses and finding a traditional country radio station, Gail rejoined Selena in her original seat.

'I underestimated you it would seem, although this particular vintage of wine seems a little posh for a country girl' Selena said, recognising Lucas's taste.

Gail picked up the bottle and turned it over in her hands. 'Well...' she shrugged, '...no point in throwing away a good drink, even if it was from a conniving ass'

Selena smiled, it looked like her nemesis was becoming a little tipsy. This might turn out to be an interesting night after all, she thought and topped up her glass.

* * *

Lucas Buck pulled up approximately 5 houses away from the Boarding House to let Caleb out, he didn't want the boy to get into trouble and he knew there would be hell to pay if Loris Holt spotted him dropping Caleb off. It had been an uneventful evening patrolling, but he had explained to Caleb that that's how it should be. Even though there wasn't any excitement, Caleb had seemed to be enjoying himself so Lucas remained happy.

With the boy safely home before his curfew, he turned the car around and headed towards his home. Dusk had fallen and the streets seemed quiet, as they should be. Lucas was having a casual drive, preparing himself for an uneventful night when he noticed the yellow sports car in from of Gail's house and cursed. Both his ex's together wouldn't end well. As he pulled up behind Selena's car and got out of his car, he saw Billy Peele walking up to Gail's front door.

Heading quickly up the path, he grabbed hold of Billy's arm and swung him around, ready to challenge the man's reasoning for being at Gail's house late on in the evening; however, the faint sound of Elvis's '(You're The) Devil In Disguise' interrupted his train of thought. Looking quizzically at Billy, who just shrugged, he followed the sound of the music to the back of the house.

'Oh hell no.' Billy said with a shocked expression, when both men spotted Gail and Selena sat on a blanket with a bottle of wine between them, talking as though they were old friends.

Lucas looked on at both of his ex girlfriends anxiously and turned towards Billy. 'What part of this affects you?' he said, more sharply then he had intended. He took a deep breath to regain his control and continued, 'at least only one of them is your ex, god only knows what they've been discussing about me'

Billy shook his head. 'I don't envy you man...so what should we do, just leave them?'

Lucas smiled, regaining his confidence after the initial shock. 'Watch and learn' he said with a wink and headed towards the two women.

Sitting himself down between Gail and Selena, he reached for the bottle of wine and pulled a new wine glass from behind his back, seemingly out of thin air. Ignoring the confused looks he could feel on him, he poured himself a glass of wine. 'Mind if I join you two lovely ladies?' he asked and without waiting for a reply he took a sip.

Billy couldn't believe what he had just seen, the nerve of the man before him was beyond belief; although, so far the woman hadn't told him to take a hike. Billy headed over to the group and tried to ignore the uninviting stare he was getting from Selena. 'Gail, did I get our night mixed up?' he asked, trying to temp his friend away from the ex's.

Gail was glaring at Lucas, his sudden presence had completely thrown her. There was so much she wanted to say to him and ask about Caleb, but this wasn't the time. How could the arrogant bastard just intrude on her night like this? He was certainly sure of himself, she would give him that. Gail chose not to acknowledge Lucas and turned her attention towards Billy, she knew it would bother him more if she ignored him and focused on her friend. Standing up, she realised she was a little unsteady on her feet but managed to fake control and headed towards Billy. 'Sorry, I was expecting you earlier. I thought you decided to work late. How has your day been?'

Lucas was watching Gail carefully, she usually reacted to his presence by now and he didn't like that she was ignoring him. Spotting that Selena's eyes were following the good Doctor like a hawk, he chose to stay casual and see how things played out.

Billy felt the eyes on him and tried to ignore the awkwardness of the situation. From the evenings he had spent with Gail he could sense that she was barely able to stand on her own and put his hand on her arm to prop her up. 'Same crap different day...what are you doing?

Gail shrugged and leaned in closer 'Selena stopped by while I was waiting for you to finish up, she had a few drinks and didn't seem to want to leave so here we are'

Billy glanced over his friends shoulder disapprovingly at his ex, who he noticed was watching him intently. Lucas was surprisingly quiet, he had expected some sort of reaction when he had grabbed Gail's arm. 'You should stop drinking and open you eye's Gail,' Billy whispered, 'If you were of a sound mind you'd realise this isn't company that you want to keep'

Gail stepped back defiantly and laughed, 'Your going to try and give me advice, when your out drinking every night? Come on friend, you should know better than that. Your only mad because I started without you'

Billy shook his head, he knew there was no talking sense into Gail when she got defensive, the woman was ridiculously stubborn. He at least decided to help his friend by removing his ex from the equation, Gail had seemed unimpressed by Lucas for the past month so he thought she would be able to handle him. 'Come on Selena, it's a school night and I know you don't want to be teaching your class hungover tomorrow'

Selena obeyed, stood up and sauntered her way towards him. This evening was becoming more eventful than she had expected. Billy placed his hand around the top of her arm and led her around front to his car.

Gail watched the two of them leave and looked up at the darkening sky ahead in exasperation. Turning her attention towards Lucas, she shook her head and sighed when she saw he had two freshly poured glasses of wine in his hand. She headed towards her original spot on the grass, took the glass from Lucas and sat down with her legs crossed.

'Well that was interesting' Lucas smiled.

'Shut up' Gail said playfully and took a sip of her drink.

Lucas's smile grew wider. It turns out he hadn't had to lift a finger to get Billy boy and Selena out of the way, the good Doctor had taken care of that for him. This day had turned out better than he had initially thought, not only had he got to spend more time with is boy but he also had a shot of getting Gail on his side. 'So, are you enjoying my wine darlin'? I thought you didn't want anything I sent you.'

Gail took a deep breath and tried to force her head clear. 'There was no point wasting a good drink...so, what are you doing here Lucas? Surely you have better things to be doing with your evening then harassing me.'

'Harassing is a strong term darlin', I saw Miss Coomb's car out front and thought I'd drop in to make sure you two women weren't getting into any trouble, seen as your not exactly friends. Imagine my surprise when I see you two hiding out back drinking like a pair of school girls'

Gail smiled and looked out into her garden, 'What's wrong Lucas, did you think Selena might spill some dirt on you if I got her drunk enough? Don't worry, we have more things to talk about than our mutual ex'

'Darlin', I hate to burst your bubble but Selena wouldn't discuss anything about me, no matter how drunk you got her. If that's what you've got planned for the future, I wouldn't want you to waste your time.'

Gail placed her glass on the ground and stood up. Lucas watched carefully as she paced from flower to flower examining her previous work. He knew something was coming, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He stood up and slowly headed towards her, standing behind her he placed his hands on her shoulders and inhaled her scent. Surprisingly Gail didn't pull away instantly, she let him take in her scent for a moment before turning around.

'What are you doing with Caleb?' she asked.

'Nothing I shouldn't be darlin'. He's been patrolling with me some evenings after school, he gets back to the Boarding House well before his curfew.' Lucas thought the best approach was the truth, at least for now.

Gail nodded slowly, considering his answer. 'If it's nothing you shouldn't be doing, why hide it?' she asked calmly.

Lucas, still within inches of her, was trying to establish why Gail was being so calm. He decided to play it safe until she showed her cards. 'I'm not hiding anything darlin', no one seemed to care where the boy was going after school and I've told you as soon as you asked.'

Gail was disappointed in herself, Lucas was completely right. She hadn't thought too much about Caleb and had been too caught up in trying to outsmart this man when she should have made more of an effort to check up on her only living relative. She knew she had been selfish, but she was finding it hard forgetting what Caleb had done. Gail had accepted what he had done and said she didn't blame Caleb, so she had lost all rights to hold on to what had happened or to punish him. Her actions, or lack of, had pushed him to the man she had tried so hard to keep him from. She needed to make more of an effort, that was certainly clear.

Lucas, reading her mind, raised his hand and caressed her cheek. 'You've been making an effort since you came to Trinity darlin', don't be so hard on yourself. The boy needs his father, it's time you realised that'

Gail pulled away defiantly, his words had felt like slap across her face. 'The only father Caleb has ever known is dead Lucas, what he needs is a stable family and you can't give him that'

Lucas laughed, 'and you think you can? Come on Gail, your 'story' is more important than Caleb, so what stability do you think you can you give? Together we could provide the boy with what he needs'

Gail shook her head in disbelief, 'is that so? and what do you expect us to do together Lucas?' she asked.

Lucas stepped forward and placed his hands tenderly on her hips. 'A united front gives out a better message than a separate one darlin''

Gail leaned towards Lucas and pulled his head close to her, so her lips brushed against his ear. Lucas moved his hands slowly from her hips to her behind and Gail inhaled deeply. 'Lucas?' she whispered.

'Yes darlin'?'

Leaning even closer and pressing her body against him, she whispered, 'get off my property' and pulled away.

Lucas stared at her bemused and Gail smiled, turned around, then headed back to her house to ponder on what had happened.

* * *

It was pitch black when Gail awoke from her broken sleep after tossing and turning all night. She had woken up covered in sweat at 1am, then again at 3am after some strange dreams and had just lay still hoping to drop back off to sleep; however, she glanced at the clock to see it was only 5am and resigned herself to having yet another sleepless night.

Gail was becoming agitated with her sleeping patterns. She had always suffered from bad dreams and restless nights, but her dreams seemed to spiral completely out of control when she came back to Trinity. If her dreams weren't haunted by her parents and the fire, they were usually haunted by visions of lost children or death. Sometimes she would dream about Lucas and wake up with an unnatural desire to just go to him, or sometimes she would just wake up confused like she had this morning and have no recollection of what strange happens had plagued her dreams.

The only times that Gail had managed to sleep straight through the night since coming to Trinity was when Lucas had stayed with her, it was as though he could control her mind at times to keep away the strange dreams. She knew there was something different about Lucas, he was like no man she had ever met and he knew things about people that no one should. She was was drawn to this illusive man, she couldn't deny that and it was an intriguing feeling.

Gail didn't much feel the need for men, she was happier getting on with the more important things in life like her career; however, ever since she had met Lucas, that had changed. The sheer mystery of the man fascinated her, to the point where he'd be the first thing that she thought about when she woke up and the last thing she thought about when she went to bed. Gail didn't want to start analysing this, as it could well take her to a place she didn't want to go. No, she would continue to play ignorant for the time being, her gut told her that this was the safest option.

She sat up in bed and give herself a mental shake. Enough of Lucas she needed to focus on Caleb.

* * *

Caleb had woken up at his now usual time of 7am and had headed down to eat his breakfast like he did most mornings. He found himself looking forward to the day ahead and wondered if Lucas would pick him up after school to take him somewhere. Caleb knew a lot of people thought Lucas was dangerous and they were right. Although he was only young, he wasn't stupid; however, Lucas had never intentionally tried to harm him or Gail, to his knowledge, and unless he did Caleb would continue to give the guy a chance. Lucas was his father after all, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Caleb had sat down with his bowl of cereal and glass of pure orange juice, when he heard a familiar squeaking sound through the kitchen window. He let out a sigh and headed towards the back door with his breakfast, then peeked his head out to confirm what he already knew. 'Morning cous', he called before making his way to the porch swing and taking a seat next to Gail.

Gail was absent mindedly swinging slowly, with a cup of hot coffee. She had decided to head over to the Boarding House early to make sure she caught her cousin before he headed off to school. 'Morning Caleb, How are you?'

'Ok I guess' Caleb shrugged and ate a spoonful of his cereal.

Gail noted that her cousin seemed different; he was normally happy and enthusiastic to see her, but today he seemed distant and nonchalant. She had a bad feeling about this and chose to tread carefully. 'So, I hear you've been quite busy after school recently'

Caleb didn't look up from his position, he just stared out into the back garden and ate another spoonful of his cereal.

Gail felt uneasy, she didn't know whether to challenge his behaviour or leave him be. After what had happened before her coma she didn't trust that her cousin was so sweet and innocent, she prepared herself in case that evil creature reared it's head. 'Caleb?' she asked softly.

'What do you want me to say Gail? I've always done things after school but you've never cared, what's changed?' He said calmly and at another spoonful of his cereal.

This was crazy, Gail thought, he's just a young boy; so why did she feel like she was handling a snake that could bite her at any moment. 'I care Caleb, what's gotten into you?'

Caleb stood up and walked towards the back door. 'You only care because you know what company I'm keeping Gail'

Gail narrowed her eyes as her 10 year old cousin walked away from her and closed the door behind him. After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she decided she would bring a close to this game that she was playing with Lucas, then she could focus all her time on her only living relative.

* * *

Lucas Buck sat on his porch swing with a cup of coffee, taking in the morning air. He had a feeling that today would be a good day and was considering what activity he could do with his son after school. The boy had hinted that he wanted to go out again tonight, before he had dropped him off at the Boarding House yesterday and Lucas wasn't one to disappoint.

His thoughts trailed towards Gail and the happenings of the previous night. To say he had been shocked to see both his ex's drinking together was an understatement, he was just glad that Billy boy had separated the party before Selena potentially slipped up and started to volunteer information about him. He trusted that Selena would remain loyal and tight lipped, but part of him would never forget what she did to his child and he would never trust her completely. It was a shame as they had shared a lot of intimate experiences together, but he would not forgive her betrayal. She was lucky that he was concerned about his son and Gail at the time, otherwise his reaction would have been a more permanent one.

Lucas tried to steer his thoughts towards more positive things, he had finally found a way in with Caleb and he felt he was close to getting Gail on side. It was evident that she was worried about the time he was spending with the boy, he could sense that instantly no matter how much she tried to hide it. When Gail had found out that he was Caleb's father, she went through a multitude of emotions. At first she was distraught and tried to find some logical explanation for how this had come about, then she was angry at him and then herself for not figuring it out sooner, after the anger she became distant but eventually she accepted the news and he was able to seduce his way back into her bed.

Lucas believed it was inevitable that Gail would surrender to his will, he just had to be patient. For the time being he would continue on with his plan and become a part of his sons after school routine.

* * *

Caleb was fiddling with his fingers nervously waiting for the end of school bell to sound, while Miss Coombs was droning on about results from a test. His day had started in an unusual way with a visit from Gail and it had put him on edge. When he thought back to their conversation he didn't know why he had been so blunt and distant with her, he loved his cousin but he seemed to have little patience for the woman in his life recently. To add to his agitated mood, he hadn't seen or heard anything from Lucas today so he was unsure whether he had anything to look forward to after school.

When the bell finally sounded, Caleb rushed out of the classroom without saying bye to anyone. As he left the building he was relieved to see Lucas leaning on the bonnet of his car waiting for him. Caleb smiled and casually walked over to the man and Lucas stood up.

'You didn't think I'd forgotten about you, did you son?' Lucas asked

Caleb's smile widened, 'No sir. So are we patrolling again today?'

Before Lucas could answer Gail walked casually up to them from behind his car and put her arm around her cousin. She smiled at the confused look on both their faces and winked at Caleb, 'I thought the good Sheriff could run us up to Juniper House to visit Doctor Matt, what do you think Caleb?' she asked.

Caleb's face lit up with the mention of his old friend and excitement surged through him. Gail hadn't mentioned Matt since the incident in Lucas's office, clearly trying to protect his feelings, so this was certainly a surprise. 'Can we Lucas?' he asked excitedly.

Lucas tried to hide his anger with a smile, he knew all his hard work with the boy would have been for nothing if he said no. 'Why not, get in son' he signalled to the car.

Gail gave Caleb's shoulder an affectionate squeeze then lightly pushed him towards Lucas's car. When Caleb had gotten in she was left standing face to face with Lucas, she could see the anger in her ex lovers eye's and she held his gaze for a moment longer before heading to the front passenger seat of the car and shooing Caleb over, to give her room to get in.

Lucas stood for a moment longer taking deep breaths to calm himself, then entered the drivers side of the car and turned on the engine.

* * *

The journey to Juniper House had been a quiet one. Gail had known Lucas would not be happy with her tactics but after much deliberation earlier that day, she had decided this was her only move left and he couldn't say no to Caleb. A small part of her felt guilty for this underhanded method of getting her way, but a bigger part felt pride in herself for outsmarting the man no matter how underhanded the method was.

When they arrived at Juniper House, Lucas signalled Gail and Caleb to follow him and walked straight past the annoying receptionist Gail had previously encountered. Lucas took them down several corridors before entering a restricted wing, Gail made a mental note of the surroundings but didn't venture from Caleb's side. At first glance the place didn't seem as bad as she had originally thought; however, she wasn't naive and knew places like this hid their true appearance. That was a story for another time, she needed to focus on her old friend now.

Lucas signalled Gail and Caleb to stop, then approached an orderly. Gail was trying to hear what they were saying, but Caleb backed into her seemingly seeking comfort. She looked down at her cousin, put her arm around his shoulders and gave him a reassuring smile.

'Will Doctor Matt remember us?' Caleb whispered.

'Of course, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see us' She smiled. Gail knew this visit could go either way, she hoped her friend would still be present and sane but she tried to prepare herself in case he had lost it completely.

Lucas turned towards the pair and signalled Gail to follow the orderly. Gail took a deep breath, squeezed Caleb's shoulder reassuringly and began to follow. As she passed Lucas he grabbed her arm. 'I hope you know what your doing Miss Emory' he whispered.

Gail glanced at him, pulled her arm free then continued to follow the orderly down a long, narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor was a thick grey door, the orderly looked at Gail then unlocked the door and signalled for her to enter. The room itself was dull and bare, with only one window letting in a small amount of natural light. Matt Crower was stood looking out the window, seemingly trying to take in what little light it offered. Gail turned in disgust to the orderly; this didn't look like a living quarter, it was a prison. The orderly shrugged and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Matt seemed unfazed by the sound of the door opening and closing, he remained still with his arms against the side of the barred up window. Gail felt a surge of emotion pass through her, she tried not to pity her friend but it was hard not to when she thought about how far this man had fallen. She was surprised Lucas hadn't tried to hide the state of this place from her, maybe it was a punishment and he wanted her to feel uneasy and scared. She would never believe her old friend would try to hurt her; however, if she was wrong she could easily defend herself.

Gail took a few steps closer to the window, 'Matt?' she called softly.

Matt tensed visibly, then turned around slowly to inspect his visitor. He had tried to hold on to the hope that his friend would come to visit him, but he knew Buck would prevent that from happening. When he heard her voice, his whole body froze. His mind had played tricks on him before, he swore he would not be fooled again; then he turned around and saw Gail in her usual bright long skirt, plain vest and cardigan, with her brown hair draped neatly over her shoulders. Doubt began to surface, as she looked heavier than she used to be and her hair seemed shorter, but then she smiled and he knew this was his old friend. 'Gail? How?' he asked.

Gail smiled as Matt seemed to loosen up slightly, he didn't seem crazy and relief surged through her. 'It's a long story, how are you?'

'I've got all the time in the world Gail' Matt laughed, 'I'd love to here how you pulled this off'

'I don't think we have that long...' she said sadly,'...I've been trying for a while and trapped Lucas into bringing us. I get the feeling I won't be allowed in here alone with you for long'

Matt tensed once again. 'Us?' he asked.

Gail sighed, 'Caleb...I would've liked to come alone at first, but Caleb was my way in. He's going to want to know how you are and you need to let him now everything is fine, even if it's not. He's been through a lot'

Matt turned towards the window, he had yearned to see Gail and Caleb but he was ashamed at his appearance and he didn't want Caleb to see him in this defeated way. So many thoughts and emotions began to flow through his mind, what would he say to the boy? how would Caleb react to seeing him? A soft hand on his shoulder took him away from his thoughts, he turned around to see Gail stood close to him and he inhaled her pleasant scent. This all seemed like a dream, it had been so long since anyone had been close to him and this just didn't seem real.

'What happened Matt?' she asked sadly, clearly trying to hold back tears, 'Why would you do it?'

He slowly shook his head and tried to hold back his own sadness, 'Gail something happened to me. I was angry, his mother...'

'Mother?' Gail asked.

'Well, well, isn't this the tender moment' Lucas said as he walked into the room.

Gail turned towards Lucas then back towards Matt, who's look had completely changed and he seemed ready to pounce. She placed both hands on her old friends shoulder and forced him to look at her. 'Breathe...focus on me. Remember, best behaviour'

Matt looked at Gail, took a deep breath and calmed himself. Gail was right, a reaction would only make things worse and he knew she would help him the best she could when she realised he wasn't crazy.

Lucas placed his hands on Gail's hips and spun her around to face him. Gail glanced over her shoulder and threw Matt a look to step down, then turned her attention towards Lucas. 'Disappointed I've not been mauled by this wild bear, Sheriff?' she asked sweetly.

Lucas smiled, 'It does seem like he's been playing nice. There's a young boy out there who is itching to have his turn here darlin''

Gail stepped out of Lucas's grip and turned towards her old friend, 'remember what I said, I'll see you again soon'. As she began to walk out, she realised Lucas wasn't following. 'You coming Sheriff?' she asked.

Lucas kept his stare directly on Matt for a few seconds longer, then followed Gail out of the room. Gail nodded reassuringly towards Caleb, signalling him to enter and walked a bit farther away from the door, with Lucas in tow. When she was far enough away she turned towards him, 'your mother?' she asked.

Lucas shrugged, 'The man is delusional darlin''

Gail shook her head and decided to drop this line of questioning for now. She turned her attention to the long corridor ahead and began to walk slowly towards one of the other large grey doors. Before she had a chance to get close Lucas grabbed her arm and spun her around.

'Careful darlin', there are some dangerous people here' he said in a warning tone.

'You should know, I bet you put 90% of them in here'

Lucas feigned a hurt look, but before he could answer the accusation Caleb came out of Matt's room and walked towards them. He shot Lucas a suspicious look and put his arm around Gail, just as Matt's door was closed and locked.

'Are you ok?' Gail asked stroking Caleb's head.

'Yes ma'am, but I wanna go now'

Lucas put out his arm in the direction of the way they had previously came, 'Lead the way son'

* * *

The car journey back to town was uncomfortable. Caleb had chosen to sit in the back and just stared out of the window, silently contemplating what had happened. Lucas kept glancing in his mirror at the boy and tried to engage him in conversation, but Caleb would only answer with a word or two. Gail sat in the front passenger seat next to Lucas, playing the visit back over and over in her head. She was happy that Matt seemed to be of sound mind; however, she believed he was perfectly sane before he tried to take a shot at Lucas.

Lucas pulled up outside the Boarding House to let Caleb out. Loris Holt opened the front door and Gail could see that she was not impressed with the car Caleb had gotten out of, so Gail got out herself and waved, to show this was her doing. Loris nodded acknowledgement and returned inside, Gail gave Caleb a hug and checked again to see if he was ok; he said he was and he just needed to have some time alone, so Gail let him go in and got back in the car.

'So...' Lucas said, 'I suppose congratulations are in order.'

Gail ran her hand through her hair and sighed, 'I told you I'd get in Lucas.'

Lucas nodded, 'So you did...what now Miss Emory?'

What now indeed, Gail thought. She had tried so hard to try and get into Juniper, now that she had she didn't know what to do next. 'Can you drop me off at the school to pick up my car?'

Lucas smiled, 'I sure can darlin'' and pulled away from the Boarding House.

Ten minutes later Lucas pulled up at his extravagant mansion and Gail glared at him. 'Unless the school has received some serious funding in the last few hours, this certainly isn't the school Lucas.'

Lucas switched off the engine and turned towards her, 'I'll take you to get you car darlin', but I didn't say when. Seen as you won this round it's only fair that you celebrate'

Gail narrowed her eyes, 'celebrate how?'

Lucas got out of the car, walked towards the passenger side, opened the door for her and signalled for her to get out. 'Nothing spectacular darlin', come on'

Gail paused for a moment, considering her options. She could walk back to the Boarding House and get Loris to give her a lift, or call Ben to come get her. Either option seemed more sensible than playing along with this game. As she was about to say she'd head back to the Boarding House, a sudden clash of thunder surged through the sky and large drops of rain began to hit the car windscreen. Gail cursed as the rain suddenly got heavier and started bouncing off the windscreen.

'Darlin', unless you want us to end up like drowned rats out here, I suggest we head inside'

Gail glanced at Lucas, who was already wet from head to toe and decided to get out of the car. He gently took hold of her arm and led her around back to his porch. When he opened the back door Gail pulled away and shook her head, 'Not a chance, I'll stay here'

'Darlin' you're soaked through...'

'Lucas, not a chance!' Gail said sternly. She would rather be soaked and freezing then enter that house, not after what happened with Caleb. It felt stupid, but she got a bad feeling just thinking of this place. Many a night she had awoken from a nightmare which had taken place here, she had no desire to relive any of it.

The sound of thunder pulled her out of her thoughts and she was shivering. Lucas was watching her intently, as though he had read her mind. Not saying a word, he grabbed two chairs and pulled them towards an old furnace. He disappeared indoors for a few minutes then returned with an old sweater, a bottle of red wine and two glasses. Lucas handed Gail the sweater, pulled a small table towards the furnace and placed the wine and glasses down. He disappeared again around the side of the house, then came back with some wood for the furnace.

While Lucas seemed busy Gail took off her soaked cardigan and vest, then pulled the dry sweater on. She turned back to Lucas to see him already sat to the side of the lit furnace, with two glasses of wine in his hands. She approached him, took one of the glasses and sat on the opposite chair. Gail stared out into the garden, as she took a sip of her drink. She had loved this garden from the first time she saw it, with a bit a work it could be perfect.

Lucas leaned over and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. 'Is this better?' he asked.

'I suppose it's the best of a bad situation' she sighed. Now that she had started to relax, she became aware that they were in his territory and this was a dangerous place to be.

Lucas smiled, 'No danger here darlin', just two friends celebrating a victory' and he took a sip of his drink.

Gail tried to dismiss his comment, it always made her feel uneasy when he seemed to read her mind. She had convinced herself previously that he was just very good at reading people and this is how he seemed to know what they were thinking; however, part of her, which she pushed deep down, knew it was something else. Gail stood up and walked towards the edge of the porch with her drink, to try and create some distance between them, but Lucas followed her.

'I love your garden, it's very bare though. It could do with some flowers and plants to brighten it up' she said, trying to ignore the familiar feeling that was creeping up from below her stomach.

'It could do with a woman's touch...' he said, coming up behind her, '...feel free to work your magic, I know it's therapeutic for you.'

Gail tried to move to the right, to get away from his closeness; however, Lucas placed both arms either side of her on the porch railing, blocking her in. He stroked his nose against her neck and inhaled her scent. Gail closed her eyes and tried not to be fazed by this, but she felt her body betray her and move slightly back into him. She took a huge sip of wine and concentrated on a statue in the garden.

'I can't tell whether I like the statues or not' she said, trying to divert her attention away. 'How long have they been here?'

Lucas nuzzled her neck, then kissed it gently. He admired her diversion tactics, but her body was giving out a different message. Her attempts to resist her urges amused him, so he decided to play along. He knew she would be his, so a little resistance would only add to his arousal. He pulled away from her and headed back towards his drink, he sensed her body tense when he had pulled away and smiled. 'The statues have been around since the house was built, supposedly to ward off evil spirits and such. I like them, they give the place character'

Gail turned around when he had pulled away and watched as he took a large sip of his drink. Her body had tensed when he walked away and it ached for him, but her mind was screaming to run. As usual, she was torn. Lucas had given her some space to think, which was unusual in itself and Gail was now really confused. She felt torn between what her body was yearning for and what her mind was telling her. She wasn't stupid, she knew the safest option was to leave, especially seen as the rain had eased off a little; however, she wanted him, there was no denying it.

If Lucas would have said no to taking her to see Matt, she would just leave; however, she knew deep down that her underhanded tactics had pushed Caleb away from him and although that's what she believed was best for her cousin, this man was his father and she felt guilty. Lucas could have made an excuse as to why they couldn't go, but he took them knowing it would impact Caleb. She wasn't naive enough to think Lucas didn't have an ulterior motive and sometimes she admired his cunning, although she would never directly admit it. She had to be deceitful in her job to get the stories she had and to progress her career, so she couldn't judge too much.

Lucas had rejoined her and was leaning against the rail, watching her with fascination. It never ceased to amaze him how she could have a debate with herself in her mind. She seemed to give herself a mental shake then returned to the present, this made Lucas's smile widen.

Gail turned back towards the statues. 'I think this place has enough character and as for warding off evil, that's a laugh' she said and drank the last of her wine.

They stood side by side in silence leaning on the rail, looking out into the garden ahead. After a few moments Gail chose to break the silence. 'I'm not sleeping with you' she said calmly.

Lucas had decided he wanted to make her ask him, after the events of the day. He was confident that he had her, she just needed one little push. 'There's other things we can do Gail, or have you forgotten?' he said, still looking out into the garden.

Gail became completely unravelled at the sound of her name coming from his lips. She felt that familiar ache surge through her body and decided to throw caution to the wind. 'I've not forgotten Lucas' she said looking out at the garden and trying to seem cool, 'what would you suggest?'

Lucas shook his head and turned towards her, 'Now, now Gail, your the winner for today so you get to choose. What do you want me to do?'

Gail, trying to fake restraint, considered for a moment then turned towards him. Taking a deep breath she raised her hand and stroked his lips tenderly with her thumb, then lowered her hand and touched the spot between her legs for a second. Lucas let out an aroused breath, leaned forward as if to kiss her, then pulled away and dropped slowly to his knees. He wouldn't make her say it, she had too much pride to beg, he was satisfied with the way she had made her choice clear.

Lucas pulled down her long skirt and she stepped out of it obediently. He began lightly biting the inside of her thigh and nuzzled his nose between her legs, before ripping off her panties. Gail gripped the railing and let out a small aroused cry. Lucas played with his fingers at first, looking up at her as he went, then he started with his tongue. He loved the taste of her and her reaction when he played this way. He reached his hand under the sweater and squeezed it's intended target, Gail cried out louder and placed a hand on the back of his head, lightly pushing him deeper. He nipped at her tenderly then began with his tongue again, he repeated this motion several times until she finally let go.

When Lucas stood up, he could feel how uncomfortably hard he was. Gail caressed his face and licked the excess moisture from his mouth before kissing him passionately. 'My turn' she whispered in his ear, when they broke free of the embrace and she knelt down in front of him. Gail unzipped his pants and carefully pulled them down over the tightness of his groin. Looking up at Lucas, she gently pulled him free, then began to play with her tongue.

'Darlin'...' Lucas went to protest, he had meant for this to be for her.

'Shhh' she interrupted, then took him in her mouth and began to suck.

Lucas gripped the porch rail and let her continue with her work, after all who was he to protest. She went between gently sucking and playing with her tongue, to going more vigorous, until he finally erupted. Lucas pulled her straight up and kissed her forcefully, ignoring the taste of himself. The pair stayed like this for a few moments, then Gail broke free and they both began to dress.

Gail walked slowly to the furnace, sat down and poured them both another drink, Lucas joined her after he had made himself presentable. They both drank slowly in silence, admiring the view of the garden. The rain had stopped and it had started to warm up slightly.

'Are you ok darlin'?' Lucas asked, breaking the silence.

'I am, Sheriff' Gail said and took a large sip of her wine.

'You're more than welcome to come inside and spend the night, I'll take you for your car in the morning.'

Gail smiled, 'Not a chance' and took another sip of her wine.

Lucas leaned forward, cupped her chin with his hand and gently turned her to face him. 'Nothing is going to happen to you and I promise I'll be a gentleman'

Gail placed her hand on his wrist and carefully removed herself from his grasp. She downed the rest of her drink, then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. 'Goodnight Sheriff' she said, as she got up and walked off the porch and out of the garden.

Lucas stood up and watched her walk away, presumably to the Boarding House to spend the night. He sighed and returned to his chair, this wasn't how he had foreseen the evening ending; however, he was satisfied with the outcome. Gail hadn't shown guilt after their antics, which was a positive and he was one step closer to her being fully his.

Lucas was taken out of his reverie by the uneasy feeling of being watched. He closed his eyes and sensed the godly figure by the gargoyle statue in his garden, it appeared that the figure had managed to move closer since his initial discovery of it a week earlier. Not wanting to lose sight of the good time he had experienced this evening, he put out the furnace, picked up the bottle and glass of wine, then headed inside. 'I'll deal with you some other time Merlyn Ann' He called out before closing the door.

\- The End-


End file.
